Search - 2023

 
 
South Africa's Siya Kolisi takes selfies with fans after a practice session in Corsica on Aug. 29.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 1, 2023

Springbok icon Siya Kolisi defies odds to return in time for World Cup

Siya Kolisi rose from a hungry and impoverished childhood to become 'an international rugby icon.'
A junior high school team poses for a picture on Oct. 30, 1929, the fourth day of the fifth Meiji Shrine Games.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Sep 16, 2023

Rugby turns 200: A history of the sport in Japan

As the sport of rugby turns 200, Japan hopes to celebrate its own success in a game that first arrived in the 1860s.
International investors are investing more money into hotels because of Japan's post-pandemic tourism boom.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 24, 2023

Singapore is Japan’s top property investor in 2023, report says

International investors are also attracted to Japan's low borrowing costs, and putting more money into hotels because of a post-pandemic tourism boom.
PRESS
Oct 24, 2023

ジャパンタイムズが世界新聞協会のアジア・メディア・アワード2023を受賞

株式会社ジャパンタイムズ(本社:東京都千代田区、代表取締役社長:末松弥奈子)は、2023年10月に発表された世界新聞協会(WAN-IFRA)のアジア・メディア・アワード2023にて、速報部門と特集記事部門の2部門で最優秀賞を受賞しました。...
The talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates announced it would change its name after acknowledging the long history of abuse company founder Johnny Kitagawa inflicted on young men. The news was followed by the removal of company signage bearing Kitagawa’s name.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Dec 2, 2023

The entertainment story of the year is long overdue

As entertainment heavyweights Johnny & Associates and Takarazuka Revue are hit by scandals, hope for reform emerges with changing attitudes toward abuse.
Gender-neutral names were more popular for Japanese babies born in 2023, a survey has found.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 5, 2023

Popularity of gender-neutral Japanese names rose in 2023

The annual ranking by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, released Monday, showed that unisex names have risen in popularity.
Designated hitter and closer Shohei Ohtani (center) and catcher Yuhei Nakamura are mobbed by their Samurai Japan teammates after Ohtani struck out American slugger Mike Trout to clinch Japan’s third World Baseball Classic and first since 2009, at LoanDepot Park in Miami on March 21.
SPORTS
Dec 26, 2023

Images of 2023: Sports

For some, 2023 was a year of sweet victory, after many years of not making it to the summit. For Shohei Ohtani, it was yet another year of brilliance.
FC Barcelona's Martina Fernandez scores during a Women's Champions League group match against FC Rosengard in Barcelona on Dec. 21. A share of 83% of respondents from a recent corporate survey said they planned to increase their investment in women's sports in 2024.
SPORTS
Dec 29, 2023

After landmark World Cup, more sponsors keen on women's sports

A share of 83% of respondents from a recent corporate survey said they planned to increase their investment in women's sports in 2024.
A man rides a scooter over a bridge across from the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai on Jan. 9.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 16, 2024

China set to reach 2023 growth goal as focus shifts to new year

The figures for GDP, industrial production and retail sales are likely to show improvements from the same period in 2022, helped by a low base of comparison.
Foreign tourists at a duty-free counter in a department store in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2024

Duty-free sales at Japan department stores hit record high in 2023

The rise reflected the weak yen, as well as an increase in the number of foreign visitors to Japan.
A suicide helpline worker takes calls in Tokyo. Health ministry officials say that comprehensive countermeasures are needed to realize a society in which people do not feel suicidal.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 26, 2024

Suicides in Japan decreased slightly to 21,818 in 2023

The decrease marks the first decline in the number of suicides in two years.
In Tokyo's 23 wards, the average unit price of new condominiums in 2023 soared about 40% from the previous year to ¥114.83 million, topping ¥100 million for the first time.
BUSINESS
Feb 29, 2024

Japan's average condo price hits record high for seventh year in 2023

The nationwide average price was pushed up by rising costs for construction materials and labor.
A flare burns at a gas plant near Orla, Texas. Production and use of fossil fuels put more than 120 million metric tons of methane into the atmosphere last year, a slight rise from 2022.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 14, 2024

Methane emissions from energy sector rose in 2023 despite pledges

Production and use of fossil fuels put more than 120 million metric tons of methane into the atmosphere last year.
Afghan evacuees arrive at Narita International Airport in October 2021. Applicants from Afghanistan made up the majority of those recognized as refugees by the Japanese government last year, similar to 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 26, 2024

Japan granted refugee status to record 303 asylum-seekers in 2023

While this is a jump from the 202 people in 2022 and a new record high, the number is still considerably lower when compared with Western countries.
Check-in counters at Narita International Airport are crowded with travelers on Dec. 30, 2023.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2024

Passengers at Narita Airport soar 72% in fiscal 2023

The operator forecast that during the Golden Week holiday period, international passengers would total 835,200, up 33.6% from the same period last year.
The University of Tokyo Hospital in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward
JAPAN / Society
Jun 12, 2024

16 heart transplant surgeries abandoned in Japan in 2023

Of the 16 patients whose transplant operations were abandoned, 10 received transplants later, while six are still awaiting transplants.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force conduct drills in Shizuoka Prefecture in May.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2024

Japan SDF hiring falls far short of target in fiscal 2023

The number of Self-Defense Forces personnel hired in fiscal 2023 totaled 9,959, only 51% of the Defense Ministry's target.
As metal prices rise, so do cases of theft, with more and an increasing number of metal cables being stolen from solar power plants in Japan.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 1, 2024

Japan's solar plants see over 9,000 cases of cable theft since 2023

The survey were the first to be conducted by the National Police Agency on the situation, at a time when metal prices are rising.
The third straight annual rise in medical fees reflected Japan's aging population and the increased use of advanced medical equipment and technologies.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 4, 2024

Japan medical costs hit record high in fiscal year 2023

The third straight annual rise reflected the country's aging population and the increased use of advanced medical equipment and technologies.
Out of a total of 509,373 foreign technical trainees, 1.9% went missing in 2023, according to Immigration Services Agency data.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 27, 2024

Record number of technical trainees go missing in Japan in 2023

Of the total, 1,765 were Myanmar nationals who had fled conflict in their home country.
Truant students at high schools numbered 68,770 in fiscal 2023, a record high.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2024

Truancy hits record high in Japan in fiscal 2023

The number of truant students at elementary and junior high schools rose by some 47,000 from the previous year to a record 346,482.
Farmer Hla Han, 52, who lost his leg after stepping on a mine, peels garlic outside his house in Demoso township, eastern Kayah state, Myanmar.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 20, 2024

Myanmar led world in landmine victims in 2023, monitor says

Decades of sporadic conflict between the military and ethnic rebel groups have left Myanmar littered with deadly landmines and munitions.
Australia's Hayley Raso (center) celebrates scoring the team's first goal against Canada during a Group B finale at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Melbourne on Monday.
SOCCER
Aug 1, 2023

Hayley Raso stars as Matildas dump Canada to surge into last 16

Australia thrived on the pressure in front of more than 27,000 in Melbourne to consign Canada to an early flight home.
Spain and Cavaliers point guard Ricky Rubio missed much of the 2022-23 NBA season due to an ACL injury.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Aug 6, 2023

Cavs' Ricky Rubio steps away from basketball, cites mental health

The 32-year-old has been in the public eye since he became a household name in Spain at 15, thanks to his flashy style of play.
The Netherlands' Jill Roord (right) celebrates her goal against South Africa in the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sydney on Sunday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 6, 2023

Jill Roord on target as Dutch march past South Africa in last 16

The 54th-ranked African champion never gave up the fight and always threatened in its first appearance in the Women's World Cup knockout stage.
Japan's Hinata Miyazawa leads the Women's World Cup scoring chart with five goals.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 7, 2023

Surprising Japan emerges as team to beat at Women's World Cup

Wins over Costa Rica and Zambia were expected, but it was the 4-0 thrashing of Spain that made the rest of the tournament sit up and take notice.
Nigeria's players watch their penalty shootout against England during their 2023 FIFA World Cup round-of-16 game in Brisbane on Monday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 8, 2023

Nigeria goes home with heads held high after agonizing exit

The Super Falcons created more than enough chances to beat European champion England in 120 minutes.
France players celebrate midfielder Kenza Dali's (right) goal against Morocco in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup round of 16 in Adelaide, Australia, on Tuesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 9, 2023

Rampant France sets up Australia clash; Colombia also into quarters

A rampant France scored three times in eight minutes to bring Morocco's fairytale run to a brutal end.
Australia's Matildas have led the way in urging FIFA to provide equal compensation to men's and women's teams competing at World Cups.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 9, 2023

Unions gain momentum as World Cup women push for pay parity

Though the disparity is still great, women's soccer players have won better deals that have changed the playing field in recent years.
Nadeshiko Japan fans react during a watch party Friday at Saitama Stadium for the team's World Cup quarterfinal.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 11, 2023

Disappointment — but also pride — for Nadeshiko Japan fans

Despite the loss to world No. 3 Sweden, Nadeshiko fans applauded the team's effort as the final whistle blew.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?